COLLEGE STATION - Johnny Manziel said he believes experience counts for something, even if that experience is limited to this season.

That's why Texas A&M's reigning Heisman Trophy winner makes the case the Aggies own an advantage over top-ranked Alabama, considering A&M is coming off its second contest while the Crimson Tide have played only one.

"We will have had another full-speed game to play before they did," Manziel said following the Aggies' 65-28 win over Sam Houston State on Saturday. "It's hard to simulate a game in practice, even though you get time to go over game tape and whatnot. We've had another game to go out and get some of these young guys up to speed."

Plenty of preparation

Alabama opened its season on Aug. 31 with a 35-10 victory over Virginia Tech and has since had time to prep for the Aggies and a highly anticipated early-season contest. The showdown, complete with a visit from ESPN's "GameDay," kicks off at 2:30 p.m. Saturday and will be televised nationally by CBS.

The Crimson Tide began preparing for the Aggies in earnest on Thursday, and Alabama coach Nick Saban said backup quarterback Blake Sims is simulating Manziel in practice. As for how A&M will handle its week of preparation for Alabama?

More Information

One thing that has changed in the past two days for A&M has been Manziel's availability to the media. The university shielded him from interviews starting Aug. 4 when ESPN reported the NCAA was investigating him for potentially profiting from signing memorabilia for brokers.

A&M and the NCAA eventually agreed Manziel committed an "inadvertent violation," and he sat out two quarters of the Aggies' 52-31 season-opening win over Rice.

Following Saturday's victory against SHSU, Manziel was made available to the media for the first time this season, and he explained what he told his teammates in a recent mandatory speech that was part of his punishment.

"It was kind of an emotional deal for me," said Manziel, who threw for 426 yards and three touchdowns against the Bearkats in about three quarters. "(I) was trying to get them fired up and let them know I'm here and I'm focused on this season and I love each and every one of these guys …

"There's a genuine love for each and every guy on this team. That's what we're focused on, and that was the message I was trying to get across."

He added that taking part in camp and being around the Bright Football Complex aided him in dealing with the NCAA issues of the past month.

Back to full-time

And how happy were his teammates to have Manziel starting a game for the first time this year - especially with Alabama up next?

"He's the best player in the country," said receiver Mike Evans, who posted a career-high 155 yards on seven catches Saturday. "So having him for two halves was great."